VHF licence fees

[Guest]

Cor, you need watertight waders on to wade through that lot but it does explain why we have ship radio licencing. From the shattering silence from all those who wrote odd things about taxes on safety earlier in this thread I guess they have sunk without trace after the first couple of lines

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[Evadne]

Re: MARS

Thanks for putting it into plain English, I withdraw my earlier criticism. Rather than object to it as a tax on safety, I could see this sort of service being useful in saving lives and reducing false alarms. It does needs paying for though, and, begrudgingly perhaps, I agree that the non-boating populace shouldn't have to pay for it.

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[Mike_Martin]

Agency\'s Support System ??

Hi All,

Ancillary to my post earlier dealing with what you get, it is also worth pointing out that the Agency regulates use of all Civilian radio (and involved in MoD's usage) use in the UK and has an annual income (except for the 3G year) in the region of £70 - 80m of which around £1.2m comes from Ship Radio Licences.

This entire (pre-work) income from the circa 63,000 Ship licences is less than that received from the licence of one mobile phone network operating company. This reflects the fact that Marine radio is an Internationally regulated safety service and therefore shouldn't be subject to market pricing for access.

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[ccscott49]

Re: The Truth about US Ship Radio Licences

Objections removed. You do good work obviously, wont complain again!

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

The licence does it cover

Hi Martin, thanks for responses so far.

Could you tell me, if I have a SRC vhf licence and ship licence am I able to legally carry and use a radio scanner if I only scan maritime band?

What is the legality of this, I know occassionally people have been arrested for using scanners.



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<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Homepage</A>

 

[Guest]

Re: Agency\'s Support System ??

My application (re-application) will be in the post tonight.............

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[BrendanS]

Re: Mike! - VHF licence fees

Having just filled in a form to apply for a ships licence online, a couple of comments..it could be a lot easier.

I am an ordinary guy, not a master mariner. Could you not design these forms to be filled in by leisure users, I gave up last time I tried, and it's only this thread that's reminded me to have another go.

How on earth am I supposed to know the Gross Tonnage of my boat. I've searched everywhere, and I've got length, beam, lbs dry weight, etc etc but no sportsboat manufacturer that I've seen provides Gross Tonnage. Even my SSR registration didn't require gross tonnage! I used the random number calculator function on my PC eventually!

As to the additional information for MARS registration purposes, I didn't have a clue what those terms meant, so I just left it all blank. Couldn't there be some explanatory notes?

Cheers,

Brendan

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[duncan]

Re: Mike! - VHF licence fees

the only planning 4000 tonnage sports boat eh?

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[BrendanS]

Re: Mike! - VHF licence fees

I believe the actual number was about 1.5 million /forums/images/icons/wink.gif Should make things easier in the 'area of concern' out of Southampton Water now, as everything will be required to stay out of my way. Ha!

<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[escape]

Re: Ha ha ha

Mike,
You obviously have the same sense of humour as the two gents who visited.
They returned very quickley to suggest I not call any body else up as I was letting friends on a nearby mooring know of the 'pleasures' about to be visited on them.They were obviously scanning to interscept warnings.
Just like us, our friends had all relevant documents in order.
This was a real account, just repeated with a dose of irony.

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[Mike_Martin]

Re: Mike! - VHF licence fees

"Couldn't there be some explanatory notes?"

Funny you should say that, there is a booklet that comes with the form called "Guidance Notes", this handy little booklet not only explains what is going on in the form but it also contains useful radio related information you can download it from here http://www.radio.gov.uk/topics/maritime/maritime-index.htm

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[Mike_Martin]

Re: The licence does it cover

Good Question!!

Not a lot of people know this but it is actually illegal to use a scanner to listen to anything other than Broadcast radio (ie Pirate FM, Radios 1, 2, 3 etc) CB radio, Amateur Radio and Weather Forecasts unless you are licensed to access the particular service that you are listening to.

So you are covered by having a Ship Radio Licence but you don't need the SRC as you can't transmit with a scanner.

Full details at http://www.radio.gov.uk/publication/ra_info/ra169.htm

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[Mike_Martin]

Re: Ha ha ha

Possibly, the question though is did you laugh at their pink Warrant cards, I always do.

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[tcm]

Unconvincing responses: action plan for Mike

Hm. Well, despite the various reposnse of Mr Martin, there still remains a large core of disaffected licence payers. The airwaves may not really need planning on a daily basis, the newsletter must cost a few bob, and in any case the ability to charge a fee is protected by law.

I beleive that the tried and trusted way to dramtically improve public relations amongst all ybw forumites is to give out your mobile phone number (nobody ever calls but it is very brave) and then host a large charity fundraising booze-up somewhere in the Solent. September would be nice, I think.

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[Mike_Martin]

Re: Unconvincing responses: action plan for Mike

When I came to this Unit, I replaced predeccessors who suffered from a "bunker mentality" regarding talking to customers and at that time it was definitely fair to say that the huge majority of customers were at worst aggrieved and at best dissatisfied by licensing (you should have seen the letters we used to get). With the introduction of the newsletter etc customers now tend to actually know what it is all about now and customers are generally content with the system.

You have to read between the lines re the cost of External Relations (ie newsletters, stands and road shows etc) but I'll spell it out anyway. They're all paid for by the Agency centrally, in other words, I use resources funded by other radio sectors to give the best VFM to my customers.

A party!! What a fantastic idea! Unfortunately, I don't think that the BBC, MoD, Vodaphone, O2 or any other big licensee would consider that to be sensible External Relations. I know, all the YBW Forumites, who come to my stand at Soton, can buy me a Guiness and then tell me personally how unfair it all is.


Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[BrendanS]

Re: Mike! - VHF licence fees

OK, be flippant if you like but it was a serious point!

1) I told you I'd applied on line, so obviously I don't get a little booklet with the form

2) I applied using your website <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.radiolicenceforms.co.uk>http://www.radiolicenceforms.co.uk</A>. Have a look for yourself, no guidance notes, no detailed instructions, no links.

3) The link you gave me to find the guidance notes is on an entirely different website. Good, you have guidance notes, but how am I supposed to find them - telepathy?

4) Having read the guidance notes, I'm even more confused about Gross Tonnage: Here http://www.radio.gov.uk/publication/ra_info/ra145.htm it says One ton equals 100 cubic feet .) The online form on www.radiolicenceforms.co.uk states "Gross tonnage of vessel (if open boat, approximate weight of each cubic foot as one ton)". The guidance notes here: http://www.radio.gov.uk/publication/ra_info/ra145gn.htm don't mention Gross Tonnage at all. So is one ton one cubic foot, or 100 cubic feet. It makes quite a difference you know!

5) Why not, instead of confusing Gross Tonnage, which is actually a volume, use length and beam, as used when registering for EA river licence, SSR, CG66 et etc



<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[Twister_Ken]

Radical suggestion

Why not drop the £20 tax, and charge a fiver for every radio check to Solent Coastguard. You'd make a fortune, and enough surplus for a Scuttlebutt party!

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[Mike_Martin]

Re: Mike! - VHF licence fees

Apologies if my response has upset you, not intended.

We have no room for manouvre regarding GRT, as that is what we have to supply to the MARS database.

However, with small boats it isn't as critical as with a Merchant Man and your best guess is acceptable. As you point out there are many ways of obtaining a weight for the craft and hence an indication of its size and we will accept them as long as it's in tons. It's probably also worth pointing out that the minimum we can use is 1 ton anyway.

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[Mike_Martin]

Re: Radical suggestion

Once again a Fantastic idea and I've worked out how to produce the credit card/callsign registration database.

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[DeeGee]

Re: Unconvincing responses: action plan for Mike

I have no qualms about paying my license fee - perhaps the level of fee would be a bit inappropriate if hypothecated to our share of the provided services, and like Glaxo, it would be nice to say "drop the newsletter, let's have a fiver off...". And if you feel that all the £'s collected match the £'s spent, lets have the charterers pay more for their commercial usage!

Referring to your response on scanning, I could theoretically be arrested passing on the securite weather broadcast from TCG to a friend - tis all very secret innit!!

Last week, I was going offshore and decided nice time to upgrade to a DSC machine. I would have thought that an MMSI number could have been done ad hoc over the phone, but, no, it has to be done by paperwork. When I had faxed my amendment request in, it still couldn't be done any quicker. Very inflexible system, not friendly at all. The best systems allow a bit of bending from time to time.


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